


Remember Me - Stucky

by Rini2012



Series: Come Back To Me [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Asset Bucky Barnes, Bucky has Amnesia, HYDRA Brainwashing, HYDRA Trash Party, M/M, Past Stucky, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Protective Steve Rogers, Safehouses, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Stucky - Freeform, but I want feedback, heartbroken Steve Rogers, hiding out, past HYDRA abuse, possibly starting something new, teammate Sam Wilson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2019-10-09
Packaged: 2020-11-28 11:23:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20965754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rini2012/pseuds/Rini2012
Summary: It's been 5 months since Steve faced off with The Winter Soldier. He hasn't stopped searching for Bucky, no matter what he's become now. What he finds is heartbreaking.





	Remember Me - Stucky

**Author's Note:**

> So I have this idea for a fic, and originally I was going to post this as a prequel. I want you all to tell me if this is something worth continuing or not. It'll be a rehabilitation story as well as a romance.

It had been five months since Bucky disappeared, and Steve never stopped searching for him. Once Steve was fully recovered and moved into Stark Tower, he and Sam searched the country for Bucky. In the files on The Winter Soldier there were safehouse locations for if ‘the asset’ was compromised on missions and needed to hide. The first ten safehouses were cleared out of all supplies, as if someone just looted everything and moved on. The ones after that were burned down entirely and the HYDRA bases nearby destroyed.

All the while, Steve couldn’t get the files out of his head. All of the things HYDRA had done to Bucky for 70 years were inhumane, everything evil you could think of from torture to experiments without anesthesia. It made Steve cry when he thought no one was looking. The thought of the man he loved being used as a test rat, being forced to do unspeakable things, was agonizing to think about.

For Steve, it only felt like five years ago that he and Bucky were two boys from Brooklyn living their lives. He still remembered how Bucky would look dirty from working at the docks all day, or how they’d spend some nights listening to the radio and laughing at their favorite shows. Would Bucky even remember those days? Or were they gone forever?

The search had led Steve and Sam to an abandoned building in Kansas. It was an apartment complex that had been condemned after a fire, but that was just a cover for the safehouse. Sam checked over the area and once he confirmed that there were no armed HYDRA agents, Steve went in. He didn’t wear his uniform, just a coat, baseball cap, jeans, and a t-shirt. The reports they’d gotten said that Bucky wasn’t attacking civilians, only other criminals or HYDRA agents, which meant Steve had to look as non-threatening as possible.

Sam said that there was a body heat signature on the third floor, so Steve scaled the side of the building via the fire escape. He ended up inside what looked like an abandoned kitchen, and through a door in front of him he could see a living room.

“Go straight,” Sam said over the comms. “The blueprints said there was a door on the right of the living room meant to be a bedroom. That’s where he is.”

Steve moved as quietly as his large frame would allow through the apartment. There were no lights on, the living room instead of having a couch or TV had a table with papers and food containers on it, the walls looked a bit fire damaged. As Sam reported, there was a door and a bit of light peeking under the crack. Steve braced himself for whatever would be on the other side of the door before he opened it.

When Steve’s eyes landed on Bucky, his heart broke. He was sleeping on an old mattress with springs poking out, uniform tattered and ripped, dirt covering his face, hair greasy, and holding a gun tightly in his hand. It had only been five months, and yet it was clear that he had been through hell. The rest of the room was bare. The wallpaper was either burned or gone, there were maps pinned onto certain sections of wall from all over the world, and there were more food containers littering the floor. It seemed that Bucky was just doing what he needed to survive.

In order to not risk getting hurt, Steve picked up a piece of paper and gently tossed it onto the sleeping man’s leg. As expected, Bucky shot up off the mattress and pointed his gun at Steve. Steve retained his calm and put his hands up.

“I’m not gonna hurt you.” He said. “I’m just here to talk.”

Bucky didn’t say anything, just kept his intense, calculating stare on Steve. Steve knew he’d have to be careful about what he said if he wanted Bucky to come with him. He didn’t want Bucky to try and fight his way out because he didn’t know if he could take Bucky on or how long it would be until they found him again.

“HYDRA isn’t in the WSC or SHIELD anymore.” He said calmly. “The people who hurt you are being punished for what they did. All of the agents, all of their crimes, they’re being prosecuted.”

“You want to arrest the asset and imprison it.”

_ The asset? _ Wait… the files said that Bucky was first programmed to refer to himself as ‘the asset’ and ‘it’, which meant he was talking about himself. It hurt his heart that Bucky reverted back to thinking of himself as less than human, of having little worth in the world.

“You’re not being arrested. You aren’t a bad person, you were forced to do bad things. I’m taking you somewhere safe so that they can’t put you in prison.”

“But the asset will still be in custody?”

“Of the Avengers, but we won’t hurt you. I won’t let anyone hurt you. It’s you and me till the end of the line, just like always.”

Something flickered in Bucky’s face, something akin to recognition similar to when they were on the Hellicarrier. Steve waited in silence for a response. It could have been minutes, or a few moments, but eventually Bucky whispered,

“Steve Rogers…”

Steve smiled assuredly, and was thankful that Bucky recognized him. “Yeah, it’s me Buck. We grew up together... do you remember?”

Bucky was careful in his movements as he slowly approached Steve without putting down his gun, almost like a scared animal. Steve remained still even though he desperately wanted to hug Bucky and never let go. It was clear that whatever happened these last five months had hurt Bucky so much. Even as the Winter Soldier he wasn’t this careful.

Steve waited and waited, and Bucky did something unexpected. He dropped his gun… and buried his face in Steve’s shoulder. It shocked Steve for a moment and when it was obvious that Bucky wasn’t going to move, he gently wrapped his arms around his best friend. The love he had felt for years was coming back full force, and he couldn’t act on it no matter how much he wanted to. Bucky may never love him like that again, but him being alive was all that mattered.

“They can’t hurt you anymore.” Steve whispered. “I’ll kill them if they try.”  
  



End file.
